"Harry Harrison - SSR 08 - The Stainless Steel Rat Sings the " - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

matters. I can only wish you best of luck-and look forward to meeting you again when you return with
that which we desire the most."

He exited then and a bald, uniformed naval officer entered m his place. Closed the door and glared at me
with a steely gaze. I glared back.

"Are you the one who is finally going to tell me what is going on?" I asked.

"Damn right," he growled. "Damn fool idea-but the only one we have going. I am Admiral Benbow, head
of League Navy Security. Those dumbhead academics let the most priceless object in the universe slip
through their fingers-now we have to pick up the pieces and run with the ball."

The Admiral's mixed metaphors were as bad as the professor's academese. Was clear speaking becoming
a lost art?

"Come on," I said. "Simply tell me what happened and what I am supposed to do."

"Right." He slammed down into a chair. "If that is a beer I'll have one too. No I won't. A double, no a
treble high-octane whisky. No ice. Do it."

The robobar supplied our drinks. He drained his while I was just lifting mine.

"Now hear this. The expedition concerned was returning from their planetary dig when their ship
experienced communication difficulties. Worried about navigation they landed on the nearest planet,
which unhappily and tragically turned out to be Liokukae."

"Why unhappily and tragically?"

"Shut up and listen. We got them and their ship back relatively intact, But without the artifact. For certain
reasons we could do no more. That is why your services have been engaged."

"So now you are going to tell me about those certain reasons."

He coughed and looked away, stood and refilled his glass before speaking again. If I didn't know better I

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would have said that the seasoned old space dog was embarrassed.

"You have to understand that keeping the galactic peace is our role and our goal. This is not always
possible. There are sometimes individuals, even groups, that are impervious to our attentions. Violent
people, some apparently incurably insane, obnoxious. Despite everything that we can do they remain
immune to our blandishments, impervious to our help." He gulped down the dregs and I had the feeling
that we were finally getting to the truth.

"Since we cannot kill them we-and you realize only the highest authorities know what I am about to tell
you-we so to speak arrange, see to it that they are, well, transported to Liokukae to live the sort of life
they prefer to live. Without endangering the peaceful cultures of the union-"